Carlos Alcaraz faces looming punishment after fiery outburst at umpire, defies instructions at Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz has put himself in a position to face a potential suspension after a fiery exchange with the umpire during his latest win at the Cincinnati Open. The second seed comfortably reached the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 event after beating Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a drop shot during the match against Luca Nardi of Italy during Day 7 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center(Getty Images via AFP)

However, his victory was overshadowed by an incident that took place during the first set. In a break of play, umpire Greg Allensworth asked Alcaraz to cover the logo on his water bottle, explaining that it contradicted the tournament's sponsorship deals. "It's what we've been told," the umpire said.

The Spaniard refused to follow the order, instead responding with a heated argument. Alcaraz continued using the water bottle as it was, without covering the logo.

"Yeah, but it wasn't my fault," he said. "Why would I have to cover it when it wasn't my fault? Because it's your fault, you're saying I have to cover it now? No, I'm not going to cover it."

Although the organisers have yet to make an official statement on the matter, the confrontation has put Alcaraz at risk of facing a substantial fine.

The incident had no apparent effect on his performance as he breezed through the opening set in just 27 minutes, winning 13 of the first 14 points. However, he lost some momentum in the second set, falling behind 2-4 before rallying to win four games in a row and close out the match.

Alcaraz will next face Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.

After the win, the world No. 2 refused to dwell on the controversy, choosing instead to focus on his performance. "I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament," he said.

"At the beginning of the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I'm doing it, which I'm really proud about. I'm just happy with the way I felt the ball today."

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